Our People

Our multinational team has in-depth experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and a shared belief in the importance of civic engagement.

Our work is entirely based on rigorous, evidence-based research. Our team is committed to providing world-class research and advisory services.

Our Governors and Advisory Board members are leading philanthropists from Asia. They share a deep understanding of how philanthropy and other types of private social investment can bring about important positive impact in our communities and in the larger world.

Our Governors and the members of our Advisory Board guide the strategy, integrity, and vision of our organization as we work to improve the quality of life for those living in Asia.

Staff photography by Cheung Chi Wai of Moon 9 Image

Our Team

Ruth A. Shapiro

Founder and Chief Executive

Dr. Ruth A. Shapiro is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). In this role, she developed the vision and strategy followed by recruiting a strong board and professional team to help realize the creation of the Centre.

Dr. Shapiro is the primary author of Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2018. She is the editor of The Real Problem Solvers, a book about social entrepreneurship in America. She also co-authored the book, Building Energy Efficiency: Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future. She has published articles in the Nikkei Economic Review, the South China Morning Post and Philanthropy Impact and is a regular speaker on issues related to private social investment in Asia.

Dr. Shapiro founded the Asia Business Council and served as its Executive Director since its inception in 1997 until May 2007. As founder, she recruited CEOs and chairpersons in Asia and internationally to create Asia’s premier business leaders’ forum. Subsequently Dr. Shapiro was the Principal of Keyi Strategies, a consultancy specializing in increasing understanding through relationships and expertise sharing among leaders in Asia, Europe and the United States.

Dr. Shapiro spent the early part of her professional career in the field of international development. Within this field, she held management positions and built new program areas at the Academy for Educational Development, the Harvard Institute of International Development and Global Outlook. She holds a doctorate from Stanford University and Master’s Degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan.

Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed

Director of Research

Ms. Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed has extensive experience in research and analysis across public finance, public policy, and economics in the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She has worked for the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit at the World Bank, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget under Mayor Bloomberg. She has also taught Economics to undergraduate and MBA students.

Prior to joining CAPS as Director of Research, Mehvesh was working in the strategy consulting and social enterprise space in Hong Kong. Mehvesh was a PhD candidate in Political Economy at Princeton University, holds a Master in Public Affairs in Economic Policy from Princeton University, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degree in Philosophy and Economics from the London School of Economics.

Maureen Tai

Director of Administration

Prior to joining the nonprofit sector as CAPS’ Director of Administration, Ms. Maureen Tai spent over a decade at Grant Thornton UK LLP as a corporate finance adviser to senior management and regulator of companies operating in diverse industries from many jurisdictions. She project managed and led complex public listing/IPO transactions and was a qualified executive (nominated adviser) with the London Stock Exchange plc. for several years. From 1997 to 2005, Maureen was a corporate lawyer at international law firms in London, England and Toronto, Canada. She received an LL.B from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, and BA (Economics and Japanese Studies) from Trinity College, University of Toronto.

Maureen is passionate about literacy, women and children’s issues, and was involved as a mentor in The Women’s Foundation of Hong Kong’s mentoring programme in 2016. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Hong Kong).

Manisha Mirchandani

Senior Research Fellow

Ms. Manisha Mirchandani is an experienced research consultant and project manager and has developed research programs and authored reports for organizations including the United Nations Development Programme, The Economist Group, and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). During her time with the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, she led a project to complete 30 case studies on high-performing social delivery organizations in the region, and was a contributing author to the write up of findings in the book Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained (Palgrave Macmillan, January 2018). Manisha was also part of the team that initiated and designed the inaugural Doing Good Index, a benchmark study to examine the enabling environment for philanthropy in Asian economies. She previously worked in the private sector as Asia Research Director for FTI
Consulting, a NYSE-listed professional services consulting firm. Prior to this, she was based in New York and Hong Kong with the EIU’s research consultancy business, where she was responsible for designing and executing bespoke research programs for Fortune 500 companies, national and state-level governments, and multilateral institutions.

Manisha holds a B.A. from the University of Liverpool, a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and a M.F.A. from the University of Hong Kong. Manisha is currently based in Hong Kong, and is conversant in Cantonese.

Heesu Jang

Research Associate

Mr. Heesu Jang is Research Associate for the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society. Prior to this, Heesu has worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Seoul and for Bloomberg in Hong Kong.

Heesu holds a Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors and Cum Laude in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he focused on Chinese and Korean domestic politics and foreign policy.

He has lived in Korea, China, the United States, and Hong Kong, and he is fluent in English, Korean, and Mandarin.

Vincent Cheng

Mr. Vincent Cheng has traversed both the think-tank and social enterprise spaces in Hong Kong to develop research-informed actions for agendas relating to education and healthcare issues.

Prior to joining CAPS as a Research Associate, Vincent was at Wofoo Social Enterprises, dedicating his time to testing and driving new social innovation models – such as that of “shared value” – to leverage actors beyond the public sector to address unmet social needs aptly, innovatively and sustainably. His work was focused particularly on addressing the predicaments that the Hong Kong public healthcare system faces in a rapidly aging society.

Vincent holds a MA in Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of Hong Kong, and a BA in English Language and Literature from Hong Kong Baptist University. He speaks Cantonese, English, and Mandarin.

Winnie Wu

Office Manager

Ms. Winnie Wu is CAPS’ office manager in addition to supporting the day-to-day work of Dr. Ruth Shapiro, CAPS’ chief executive. Winnie has extensive experience in office management, and event organization and execution. Prior to joining CAPS, Winnie was with the Asia Business Council for over fourteen years, her most recent role being its administrative director where she was responsible for the council’s administration, and the management and execution of its twice-yearly forums held in various cities across Asia.

Winnie’s previous positions have also included working as a communications manager at Metro Broadcast Corporation and as a public relations officer at Radio Television Hong Kong. Winnie obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Language and Translation from the Open University of Hong Kong. She speaks Cantonese, English and Mandarin.

Laura Evans

Bookkeeper

Ms. Laura Evans is CAPS’ bookkeeper. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Finance from the University of Manitoba and previously worked with other nonprofit organizations in Canada. Prior to her relocation from Canada to Hong Kong, Laura was an avid equestrian rider, competing and coaching dressage.

Marissa Fung Shaw

Consultant

Ms. Marissa Fung Shaw brings varied and extensive experiences in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector which is enriched by her previous role as an entrepreneur. With a successful track record in developing donor relationships, Marissa’s design background enables her to apply design-led thinking in the conception and realization of innovative projects for donors and their partner organizations.

Marissa has served actively in both management and board trustee positions in nonprofit organizations in Hong Kong and the United States, where she focused on fostering international cultural exchange and empowering youth through arts enrichment and education.

A designer by training, Marissa graduated from Brown University in Visual Arts and continued her design training in London. She also holds a Master’s degree with Distinction in Nonprofit Management from The University of Hong Hong.

Marissa is a member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Art Sub-Committee and the Small and Medium Enterprises Committee of the Trade and Industry Department. She serves on the boards of The Fringe Club, The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection, and the Asian Cultural Council.

A native of Hong Kong of mixed heritage, Marissa speaks English and Cantonese fluently and is conversant in Mandarin and French.

Board of Governors

Ronnie C. Chan

Chairman

Hang Lung Group

Hong Kong

Mr. Ronnie C. Chan is Chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, both publicly listed in Hong Kong. Founded in Hong Kong in 1960, the Group expanded into mainland China in 1992, developing, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key tier one and tier two cities.

Mr. Chan co-founded Morningside, an international investment group established in 1986 with venture capital and private equity investments in manufacturing, TMT, biotechnology, and clean technology. In 1996, he co-founded the Morningside Center of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and helped establish the triennial International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, where Morningside Medal of Mathematics are awarded. In 1997, he helped found the North America-based Morningside Music Bridge for young classical musicians.

Mr. Chan is active in many other nonprofit and educational organizations. Mr. Chan is Chairman of the Executive Committee of The Better Hong Kong Foundation. He founded and chairs the China Heritage Fund, is a co-founding Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation in Beijing, and is former Vice President and former Advisor of the China Development Research Foundation in Beijing. He is founding Chairman of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, and founding Chairman Emeritus of Asia Business Council. He is also former Chairman of the Hong Kong-United States Business Council, and former Chairman of the Executive Committee of One Country Two Systems Research Institute.

Mr. Chan is Co-Chair of Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and Committee of 100. He serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, including Peterson Institute for International Economics, World Economic Forum, East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Fellowships, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, University of Southern California, Indian School of Business, Yale University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

Mr. Chan is a frequent speaker at named lectureships and international conferences and has published numerous articles in Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, Fortune, Asian Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Japan Times.

Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala

Co-Founder and Chairman

Teach for the Philippines

Philippines

Ms. Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala (Lizzie) is a socio-civic entrepreneur in the Philippines. She is Co-founder and Chairman of Teach for the Philippines, country partner of Teach for America. Teach for the Philippines is a nonprofit organization that enlists some of the most promising young leaders in the Philippines to teach in the public school system for two years. Ms. Zobel continues to advocate for access to responsible family planning in the Philippines and contributed to the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines in 2012. As part of these efforts, she is a founding Board Member of Friendly Care Foundation, the Philippine Center for Population and Development, and, the Forum for Family Planning and Development. Lizzie serves on the Board of the Population Council in New York City. She also sits on the Board of Regents of Boston College. Ms. Zobel is a Trustee of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

Ms. Zobel is married to Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and mother to their children Mariana, Jaime Alfonso, Eugenia and Mercedes. She graduated with B.A. degree in Philosophy and Economics from Boston College in 1987.

Daniel M. Tsai

Chairman

Fubon Group

Taiwan

Mr. Daniel M. Tsai is Chairman of the Fubon Group. Originated in 1961 when Fubon Insurance was founded, Fubon Group has grown into a financial conglomerate and its business interests have expanded to include real estate, telecom, media, creative arts and culture, and charitable activities. Group members Fubon Financial Holdings, Taiwan Mobile, and Momo.com Inc. are TWSE-listed companies and hold leading positions in their respective fields.

Joining Fubon Group in 1981, Mr. Tsai has grown the company in Taiwan and led Fubon’s expansion into Greater China during his 37-year tenure. He is now Vice Chairman of Fubon Financial Holdings, which has been the most profitable financial holding company in Taiwan for eight straight years. He is also Chairman of Taiwan Mobile, a leading convergent service provider on mobile communications, cable television, fixed network, and digital content.

Mr. Tsai graduated from National Taiwan University in 1978, and received his Master’s degree in law from Georgetown University in 1979. He has served on the USC Board of Trustees since April 2012 and is a Trustee of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

Jamshyd N. Godrej

Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej is the Chairman of the board of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. of India, which manufactures and markets home appliances, furniture, security equipment, precision tools, and chemical, metal, and plastic products.

Mr. Godrej is the former Chairman of Ananta Aspen Centre (previously known as Aspen Institute India), Chairman and Trustee of Ananta Centre. He is the President of World Wide Fund for Nature – India. He is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and Council on Energy, Environment and Water. He is a Director of World Resources Institute and also a Trustee of the Asia Society. Mr. Godrej is a member of Toyota Motor’s Global Advisory Board and Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee. He is the Past President of Confederation of Indian Industry and also the Past President of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association.

Mr. Godrej is the Chairman of the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (“Centre”). The Centre is housed in a LEED Platinum demonstration building which is the first green building in India and the greenest building in the world at the time when it was rated. The Centre is a Centre of Excellence for green buildings, energy efficiency, energy conservation, non-conventional energy sources, water policy, and water conservation.

Mr. Godrej is an ardent yachting enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of India and in the Baltic and North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.

The President of India conferred on Mr. Godrej one of its highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, in 2003. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, United States.

Advisory Board

Ratan N. Tata

Chairman

Tata Trusts

India

Mr. Ratan N. Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement on December 28, 2012. Effective December 29, 2012, Mr. Tata has been conferred the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and Tata Chemicals.

Mr. Tata was the Chairman of the major Tata companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels, and Tata Teleservices, and during his tenure, the group’s revenues grew manifold, totaling more than US$100 billion in 2011–12.

Mr. Tata serves on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation and JP Morgan Chase. Mr. Tata is also associated with various organizations in India and overseas. He is the Chairman of the Tata Trusts, which are among India’s oldest, nonsectarian philanthropic organizations that work in several areas of community development. He is the Chairman of the Council of Management of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also serves on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California. He is an advisory board member of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

Mr. Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited in 1971. In 1981 he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group’s other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses.

Mr. Tata received a B.Arch. degree from Cornell in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India in late 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

The government of India honored Mr. Tata with its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He has been appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and the Rockefeller Foundation has conferred him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Among his other achievements, Mr. Tata is also an honorary fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a foreign associate of the National Academy of Engineering. He has received honorary doctorates from several universities in India and overseas.

Nazir Razak

Group Chairman

CIMB Group

Malaysia

Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak is Chairman of CIMB Group. He joined CIMB’s corporate advisory department in 1989 and served the group in various capacities before being appointed Chief Executive in 1999. After 15 years as Chief Executive, Mr. Razak became Chairman in 2014. He spearheaded the group’s transformation from a Malaysian investment bank into an ASEAN universal bank via several acquisitions and new builds throughout the region.
Under Mr. Razak’s stewardship, CIMB won many awards, including best investment bank and best Islamic bank in Asia, and best bank in Malaysia. He himself was recognized as Malaysia’s top executive/CEO on several occasions. He was the youngest recipient of FinanceAsia’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and was awarded Euromoney’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2012. In 2015, he was the recipient of Asia House’s Asian Business Leaders Award.

Mr. Razak is a director of Khazanah Nasional and a member of the International Advisory Board of the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He is the inaugural Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s ASEAN Regional Strategy Group and ASEAN Regional Business Council.

He graduated from the University of Bristol with a B.Sc. (Hons) and obtained an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge. He is married to Azlina Aziz.

Shin Dong-Bin

Chairman

Lotte Group

Korea

Mr. Shin Dong-Bin is the Chairman of Lotte Group, Korea. Prior to joining Lotte Group in 1988, Mr. Shin spent six years as Executive Director of Nomura International Ltd. in London where he served in the institutional research and sales department. With his insight and interest on the Asian economy, he serves as Vice-Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, as Vice-Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, as Board Member of the Asia Business Council, and as Co-Chairman of the Korea-Indonesia Partnership Council.

To foster links between Western and Eastern society, he participates as a Global Trustee of the Asia Society, and as a Member of the Board of Overseers Columbia University Business School. Mr. Shin has also co-authored a Korean-language volume ‘Learning Retail Leads You to be CEO’ introducing the innovation strategy of convenience store. His expertise and contribution to the society was well recognized. In 2005, he has been honored with the Order of Civil Merit of Moran Medal by the President of the Republic of Korea,Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 2006, the Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by the President of France in 2007, the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of the United Kingdom in 2014, the Order of Friendship by the President of Russia in 2015 and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Isabel La Catolicain 2016.

He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1981 after graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan with a B.A. in Economics.

Vichit Suraphongchai

Executive Chairman

Siam Commercial Bank

Thailand

Dr. Vichit Suraphongchai commenced his long and illustrious career in banking in 1977 at Bangkok Bank PCL and at the time he left the bank, he was serving as its president. Later, he joined the Royal Thai Government as the Minister of Transport and Communication (1994-1995). He returned to the banking world in 1998 as the Chairman of Radanasin Bank PCL and thereafter, in December 1999, he joined Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) as the Chairman of its Executive Committee and a member of its Board of Directors.

Dr. Vichit also serves, concurrently, as a member of the Supervisory Board of Kempinski AG in Switzerland.Since joining SCB, he has provided the vision, drive and leadership to transform SCB’s franchise and dramatically restore its competitiveness and profitability –one of the most successful corporate transformations in Thai economic history. Today, SCB has the highest market capitalization for a Thai financial institution, has received a number of international and domestic awards and accolades as the ‘best Thai bank’, and is widely recognized as the premier universal bank in the country.

In addition, he anchored this transformation on the formation of a high caliber executive management team and the establishment of a program to nurture the development of the next generation of leaders of the bank. Dr. Vichit has made substantial contributions to the development of educational programs within the country. His many contributions were made through his former roles as a member of the Senate of Mahidol University, a member of the National Education Commission and as a council member of the National Institute of Development Administration Council (NIDA). He has also served as a Trustee of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of California in Berkeley and a MBA and Ph.D. from University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).